Based on meticulous research, I estimate that there are about 55 million red velvet recipes on the internet. Red velvet cakes, red velvet cookies, red velvet brownies and donuts and cupcakes and even hot chocolate.

But you know what’s weird? So many of them call for using a mix! A box of red velvet cake mix!

What kind of recipe is that??

…A fake recipe, in my opinion.

Which is why I got so excited to find this little gem during a desperate search for a new cookie to bring our Shabbos lunch hosts.

Ironic moment no. 1: My husband gets home from work and sees the little container of cookie samples on top of the fridge. He opens it, all excited, takes one out, and says, “Hey! It looks kind of…red?”

Clearly, this boy was not raised on red velvet.

Ironic moment no. 2: We show up at our hosts’ home and fork over the cookies. “Wow, these look amazing!” says the Mrs. “What kind are they?”

“Red velvet!” I say, feeling super proud.

She gives me a blank stare.

Huh. Guess she wasn’t raised on red velvet, either.

But don’t worry. Everyone got acquainted real fast.

And between our hosts, five of their ten kids, the two of us, two yeshiva boys, and three seminary girls, there was not one cookie left.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter/margarine and sugars until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and combine until smooth. Beat in food coloring and watch with wide eyes as your batter becomes really, truly, red.

3. Stir in cocoa, flour, baking soda and salt until just combined, scraping down the sides of your bowl as needed. Fold in chocolate chips, setting aside a small handful for topping.

4. Scoop out 1 rounded tablespoon of dough per cookie and set on baking sheet two inches apart. Lightly press 2-3 white chocolate chips on the top of each cookie — it adds so much to the presentation.

These were AMAZING, especially cause I made them on a milchig Tuesday afternoon and used real butter. They didn;t turn out red, though – different brands of food coloring? But it’s ok – they’re super duper!! Love the white choc chips. Thanks for another successful recipe!

Assuming you used Israeli food coloring, which is notorious for being too watered-down. I won’t say you can’t find strong coloring anywhere in the country…but I will say that food coloring is one of the items I still get from abroad. You need much less of it to get the results.

I’ve tried baking cookie doughs in 9×13 pans, but it’s usually not a totally smooth transition from cookie to cake without adjusting the ingredient proportions. Better to find a red velvet cake recipe that’s intended to be a cake (which I don’t have yet). Good luck!

Ah, you’re right. But that post was so much more about the appearance than the taste of the cakes. The cake was really just a conduit for a fun shape, and I wasn’t totally satisfied with the color, either (would have liked a brighter red).